Our Passion is in Our PANCE! (PANCE Pre-Test & Answers)

Here is the screening test I provide before a PA Board Review (PANCE/PANRE) course or before coaching those who struggle to pass their boards. If you can answer 8 out of the 10 questions right now, you will be fine.

This test has never failed me. To understand how well you will do on the PANCE, we suggest you take this pre-test without reading the answers first.

1) What bug causes strep throat and what is the antibiotic of choice?

2) What bugs cause community acquired pneumonia and what is the antibiotic of choice?

3) What meds do a CHF’er need to be on?

4) How do we treat ventricular tachycardia?

5) Most common reasons for PUD?

6) Primary class of medications for asthma exacerbation?

7) Most common cause of microcytic anemia?

8) What med class do you need to avoid in glaucoma?

9) How do we diagnosis rheumatoid arthritis?

10) What BUN: creatine ratio suggest acute renal failure?

How did you do? Now, here are the answers.

BLUEprint PANCE™ Pre-Test from CME4LIFE, LLC.

Our Passion is in Our PANCE! PANCE Board Prep that is.

Here’s a secret. I have contempt for standardized tests. “Why” you say? Because, they do not predict success – plain and simple. I know a lot of people who can cram well and get an “A,” only to have the information lost in a week.

I don’t do well on standardized exams. I didn’t graduate high school on time because of my grades. I failed the Regent’s math 11 exam five times. Yep, 5 times.

In teaching at PA schools and colleges, conferences or board review programs I have found there are a lot of people who struggle to learn as well.

Here is the screening test I provide before a PA Board Review (PANCE/PANRE) course or before coaching those who struggle to pass their boards. If you can answer 8 out of the 10 questions correct, you will be fine. For the people who call me after receiving news they failed (or failed again) here is the base test I give them to evaluate their knowledge base.

2) What bugs cause community acquired pneumonia and what is the antibiotic of choice?
M. Cat, Atypicals, Strep pneumo (Gram + dipplococci), H.Flu. The mnemonic I teach here is MASH.
Antibiotic is either ceftriaxone/Zithromax and/or fluoroquinolone.
3) What meds do a CHF’er need to be on?
Beta blockers and ACEI (or ARB)

4) How do we treat ventricular tachycardia?
Depends. There are 3 answers here.
Is the patient:

Dead? Then unsynchronized defibrilliation

Alive and stable: Meds (Amiadarone, procainamide or Lidocaine)

Alive and unstable: Synchronized Defibrilliation

5) Most common reasons for PUD?
H.Pylori & NSAIDS. We kill H.Pylori with a PPI & Amoxicillin/Clarithromycin

8) What med class do you need to avoid in glaucoma?
Anticholenergics.
(Blind as a bat. Mad as a hatter. Blind as a bat. Red as a beet. Hot as hades.)
9) How do we diagnosis rheumatoid arthritis?
Arthritis involving three + joints.
+ Labs: Positive rheumatoid factor (RF)
+ Inflammation: elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) or the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
Six + weeks.

What else could it be if not RA? Psoriatic arthritis, acute viral polyarthritis, polyarticular gout and SLE.

John Bielinski, Jr., MS PAC is a practicing emergency medicine clinician, and has been lecturing nationally for more than ten years, teaching the tactics that have proven invaluable in his career as a medical professional.